USC Rossier School of Education

09/04/2026

Is what students know authentic, or just AI output?

That's part of what Stephen Aguilar, associate professor with USC Rossier and co-director of the USC Center for Generative AI and Society, explores as he discusses how students and educators use AI in the classroom.

09/02/2026

This October, Come Home to Camp Rossier! 🏕️
Only 15 days left to get your tickets for this year's Homecoming Picnic.
Camp On! Fight On!
Tickets: bit.ly/HCRossier26

09/01/2026

Congratulations, Zoë. This is a well-deserved spotlight for the amazing work you've done!

This weekend, our own USC Pullias Center for Higher Education Co-Director Zoë Corwin was honored on the jumbotron at the University of Southern California football home game in a special 'Faculty Spotlight.' Her impactful work was featured for the whole stadium — and television audience — to see! Congratulations to Zoë, and thank you for all your amazing work supporting student success in !

USC Rossier School of Education

09/01/2026

USC EdTech Accelerator applications are now open.

Applications are being accepted for the 9th cohort, a six-month virtual program supporting tech-enabled education solutions from early childhood through adult learning. Recently named one of America's best accelerators by Time, the program connects entrepreneurs with educators, investors and USC faculty mentors, with no tuition and no equity taken. No prior USC relationship is required. Founders from around the world are building solutions across K-12, higher education and workforce markets.

Applications close September 30. Learn more and apply.

LOS ANGELES, CA—Today, USC’s Rossier School of Education announced that it will be accepting applications from September 1st through September 30th for the 9th cohort of its EdTech Accelerator.

08/24/2026

A new school year is here.

For incoming students, it's a fresh start. A chance to reset, refocus and step back into what matters most. Whether that's a mindset, a habit or a new intention, this season is yours to shape.

What's one intention you're setting for this school year? Share in the comments.

08/22/2026

Two scholars, one shared vision for equity in higher ed.

Zoë Corwin and Royel Johnson are now co-directors of the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education, pairing her research-practice partnership work with his focus on system-impacted populations.

08/20/2026

Grab your best Trojan gear, gather your crew and join us for our Annual USC Rossier Homecoming Picnic.*

Tickets are on sale now: https://bit.ly/rossierhc26



*Football game tickets not included

08/19/2026

TIME Magazine has named the USC EdTech Accelerator one of America's Best Incubators & Accelerators for 2026.

It supports EdTech solutions with high potential to improve the quality and equity of education, from early childhood through adult learning.

Founded in 2018 by Doug Lynch and Mark DeGennaro, the accelerator is fully virtual, charges no tuition and takes no equity. Companies in the program have raised over $150 million and reached more than 25 million learners.

"This recognition affirms that innovation and equity are not competing priorities but complementary strengths," said Pedro Noguera, dean of USC Rossier.

Learn more.

The program, entering its ninth year, competed against accelerators across all industries to earn the national recognition.

08/18/2026

Exciting transition at the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education: Zoë Corwin and Royel Johnson are stepping in as co-directors this fall, succeeding Adrianna Kezar after 21 years of leadership. Kezar will stay on as director emeritus through 2028, keeping the handoff steady.

Corwin has spent six years leading the Promoting At-promise Student Success project and previously co-led Digital Tools, an initiative using games and social media to expand college access. Johnson's research looks at how systems like child welfare and the criminal legal system shape students' paths through college, and he's incoming editor-in-chief of The Review of Higher Education.

Johnson describes the charge ahead as continuing what Pullias has done for three decades: "put rigorous evidence in the hands of people positioned to act on it."

Scholars Zoë Corwin and Royel M. Johnson to serve as co-directors of the nation’s premier higher education research center.

08/15/2026

AI is a phase shift, not a revolution in education.

In his new book, Authenticating Intelligence, Stephen J. Aguilar, associate professor of education, argues that whether AI works in a classroom comes down to three things: the tool, the user and the environment. Environment is the piece schools and policymakers tend to overlook.

He points to remote learning during the pandemic as the cautionary tale. It wasn't the technology or people's interest in using it that failed. The circumstances around it did, such as spotty broadband and shared devices at home. He also encourages parents and educators not to fear AI, but to look at the evidence, demand it, then decide.

Read the full conversation.

Aguilar on AI’s real limits in the classroom and the risks of moving too fast without evidence.